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Russia could cut off gas to Ukraine by ‘end of week’

Russia could cut off supplies to neighboring Ukraine by the end of the week if it does not get further payments from the country, state-owned gas company Gazprom said Thursday. Spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said in televised remarks that “if no new funds are received from Kiev, then naturally we cannot continue delivering gas to Ukraine.” He did not specify the sum. Despite the threat, Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers are set to meet in Brussels on Monday, making an immediate cutoff unlikely. Following a bruising dispute over prices and debt that raised fears of supply disruptions in Europe, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal in October requiring Kiev to pay in advance for gas shipments. Ukraine is struggling financially, however, and has recent agreed on a new international bailout package it has yet to tap.